Videos

Working with old and historic buildings is often a lesson in patience. So when I came across this time-lapse video of the old Opera House in Stewardson, Illinois, having its galvanized iron facade carefully removed, it was refreshing to imagine it all happening in a matter of seconds.

As background, the old opera house was slated for demolition by the Village of Stewardson - who agreed to allow its Mesker Brothers galvanized iron facade to be salvaged for reuse on a fire-damaged main street building in neighboring Arcola, Illinois. See the completed building below:

"Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that they can't be maintained?" Check out this great video about the importance of restoring old windows rather than replacing them and more in today's Preservation Round-Up:

"How often do you come across "historical preservation" as opposed to "historic preservation?" I see this quite often, whether casually or in presentations. If you consider the laws and the basis for the field, the proper term is "historic" not "historical.""

Designed by Daniel Burnham, Detroit's David Whitney Building is being renovated as a boutique hotel. (Photo: Flickr user KrHn313)

[Click through for video] "It has been 50 years - Dec. 19, 1961, to be exact - since the wreckers took their first swing at the fabled Metropolitan Building, but the wounds to the city's psyche and skyline still seem fresh. If only we could travel back in time 121 years, to 1890, when 8,000 people, including the upper reaches of Minneapolis society, gathered to celebrate the opening of what was originally called the Northwestern Guaranty Loan Building."

"The building, designed by famed Chicago-architect Daniel Burnham and named after local lumber baron David Whitney Jr., first openend in 1915 but has been vacant for more than a decade. "Aloft is particularly well-suited for adaptive reuse because of its urban aesthetic,” Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Specialty Select Brands for Starwood, said in a released statement. “"Preserving this integral part of Detroit’s history is a priority for us as well, an it’s exciting to meld Aloft’s design sensibility with this spectacular original structure.""

David Garber is the blog editor at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.

There's only so much that can be said before you watch this amazing video. So here is it, in all its glory. Turns out gangsta rapper and actor Ice Cube is a big fan of Los Angeles' Mid-Century design legacy. Check it out:

The video is part of a campaign by the Getty called Pacific Standard Time that celebrates art in LA from 1945-1980. The New York Timespicked up the story and interviewed Ice Cube about LA, his time as an architectural draftperson, and his appreciation for the places that make his city unique.

“What was appealing was showing off Los Angeles to people who think they know what Los Angeles is all about,” said Ice Cube, who is seen in the two-minute video cruising in a convertible 1960s Lincoln Continental and explaining the difference between the city’s “bougie” and “gangsta” freeways.

“Everybody who comes here thinks they got the place figured out, but you can never get this place figured out,” he said. “This place is like ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ ”

Preservationists are everywhere.

David Garber is the blog editor at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. If you have stories you think would interest PreservationNation, please send them to editorial@nthp.org for consideration.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation works to save America's historic places. Join us today to help protect the places that matter to you.

The PreservationNation blog features stories, news, and notes from the National Trust for Historic Preservation as well as the wider preservation movement. Have a great story to share? Email us! And visit PreservationNation.org to learn more about people saving places.

The Fine Print

While the writers of the PreservationNation blog are on staff at the National Trust for Historic Preservation or affiliated organizations, their posts are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.